NEWS
Victims' Families Exchange Words With Murderer As He Gets Life In Prison
Colorado Springs
KKTV 11 News
Jomar Dionisio Falu-Vives has been found guilty on all counts, including two counts of first degree murder, for randomly shooting and killing two people in Colorado Springs and shooting and badly injuring another.
The jury reached a verdict on the first day of deliberation. He was found guilty Wednesday and sentenced Thursday to two consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole.
"Mr. Vives has has earned every single year in both of his life sentences," said prosecutor Diana May. " He deserves to die in prison."
Falu-Vives also received max sentences in the attempted murders of two of his fellow soldiers. "He got what he deserved," said Dave Szody, father of Zach Szody, one of Vives' victims who lived.
In court on Tuesday, Falu-Vives appeared emotional as he smeared away tears from his swollen red eyes. During his verdict reading Wednesday, he sat still and showed no emotion.
On Thursday, family members of the victims pleaded to the judge to give Falu-Vives the maximum sentence. Their plea; a soldier should be protecting the country, not harming innocent civilians on U.S. soil. Falu-Vives shot back at those comments during his final plea to the judge before sentencing: "I'm a soldier," said Vives as he looked straight at the victim's families. "I'll always be a soldier."
But after the sentence was handed down, Dave Szody had his own reaction to that statement. "He is not a soldier in any Army we recognize. That's all I have to say."
This all stems from an incident in the summer of 2008, two random shootings, two weeks apart. Both happened on the southeast side of Colorado Springs, both within blocks of each other.
During the first drive-by, 26-year-old Zachary Szody, a Fort Carson soldier, was hit twice while walking home from a party. He survived. His mother talked with 11 News after the verdict was read, "I just want to thank the prosecution team, and the jury for spending such a long time and I know it wasn't easy for any of them," said Valarie Szody.
But the next two victims, 20-year-old Cesar Ramirez Ibanez and 18-year-old Amairany Cervantes, wouldn't make it. The two were hanging up yard sale signs when Falu-Vives made them the random victims of his AK47 machine gun. Natalie Cervantes, Amairany's sister and Cesar's girlfriend, said "I just want to say thank you to Diana, Detective Pratt and everybody who was helping us."
Homicide investigators would find an AK47 inside Falu-Vives' apartment. Tests later confirmed shell casings found at both crime scenes were a perfect match to his weapon.
The defense claimed Falu-Vives was never alone. They said he was not even the one who pulled the trigger. They claimed his gangster friends did it and then pointed their fingers at "the odd man out", Falu-Vives.
Twenty-one-year-old Rodolfo Torres-Gandarilla testified against Falu-Vives and pleaded guilty to accessory to the double murder and attempted murder. He was sentenced in April and got 12-years in jail.
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